The suicide of a 40-year-old man named Deepak U has sparked a national debate over whether it was a case of real sexual harassment by the man or the woman, Shimjitha Musthafa, filming the incident, stooped too low for view farming. Amidst the outrage, the woman who accused Deepak of sexually harassing her during a bus ride in Kerala’s Kozhikode has been booked by the police on 20th January, over the allegations of abetment to suicide.
This comes after the deceased man’s mother, Kanyaka, filed a complaint against Shimjitha Musthafa. The case has been registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The Kozhikode Medical College Police have already recorded the statement of the accused, Shimjitha Musthafa, and further action will be taken in the matter after preliminary investigation.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Human Rights Commission has ordered an investigation, and the incident has sparked discussion on mental health, false accusations, and the detrimental outcomes of desperation for followers and views farming by content creators.
Deepak U committed suicide after a sexual harassment claim triggered trolling and backlash against him
On 16th January, Deepak U, a resident of Kozhikode’s Govindapuram area, had taken a KSRTC bus, where Shimjitha Musthafa was also travelling. During the crowded bus journey, Shimjitha Musthafa recorded and shared a video claiming that Deepak inappropriately touched her.
The viral video shows Deepak standing away from the woman, trying to balance himself by holding the upper part of a seat as the bus shook and rolled on. For the first few seconds, the video was shot with the woman showing Deepak, who was standing a couple of feet away from her. The next part of the video shows the woman from another angle, where she is standing closer to Deepak, and pointing the camera at how his elbow is moving. Deepak, apparently unaware that a video is being made, continues his position. At one instance, his elbow touches the woman’s chest, who was then standing very close to him.
The video went viral and sparked sharp reactions. Soon after, Shimjitha published another video doubling down on her allegations against Deepak, saying that he deliberately touched her without consent and violated her sexual boundaries. She further claimed that it was a deliberate act stemming from the belief that he would not have to face any consequences for it.
“Yesterday, I shared a video from a public bus where a man deliberately touched me without my consent. This was not an accident or a misunderstanding. It was a clear violation of my sexual boundaries. I began recording after noticing a woman in front of me was uncomfortable. Despite knowing he was being recorded, the man still went ahead and touched me. This shows a deliberate act, a lack of empathy and the belief that he would face no consequences,” Shimjitha Musthafa said.
After the video went viral, Deepak was reportedly distressed and told his family and relatives that he had no wrong intentions and that his hand touched the woman inadvertently. On the morning of Sunday (18th January), Deepak’s parents tried to knock on his door. After there was no response, the family called neighbours to gain entry into the room. Deepak was found hanging.
Deepak’s devastated mother said that the deceased man was deeply stressed after the video Shimjitha shared on social media and levelled grave accusations against him, which went viral. Deepak’s mother said, “My child could not bear it. He has not been accused of anything wrong ever.”
In no time, social media pivoted from criticising, trolling, and rushing to judge Deepak to pointing out that Deepak was innocent and the woman intentionally set him up, to gain social media attention.
Memes showing men using cardboard boxes to avoid getting falsely accused of sexual harassment
The disturbing incident has triggered a wave of memes and satirical content on social media, particularly centred on the men’s apprehensions of false accusations in public spaces like buses.
Kerala Men traveling in bus from today 🚍 pic.twitter.com/vsvnivkHgk
— Deepu (@deepu_drops) January 19, 2026
Several videos and memes show men employing exaggerated protective measures, including cardboard boxes, to avoid any accidental contact with women, which may spark any baseless claim of harassment. Call it dark humour or a unique protest, such content is gaining widespread support on social media.
In one of the viral videos, a man in a crowded Kerala bus is seen wearing an oversized cardboard box covering his upper body, arms outstretched, holding the overhead bar. The box features text in Malayalam, which roughly translates to “Protection from false allegations”.
Are these unavoidable for male passengers and male conductors?
— India Brains (@indiabrains) January 20, 2026
In the backdrop of an incident where a man died by suicide after being humiliated through a video recorded against him for a mistake he did not commit, visuals of men using cardboard shields while travelling on buses… pic.twitter.com/eBou78BrV6
Sharing video of some men wearing cardboard boxes and saying that they are wearing them to save themselves from getting falsely accused of touching women in public spaces inappropriately, an X user wrote, “From now on, the new tactic that men have come up with to save their lives from those reel-obsessed girls who travel together in buses.”
இனி பஸ்ஸில் உடன் பயணிக்கும் ரீல்ஸ் வெறி பெண்களிடமிருந்து ஆண்கள் தங்கள் உயிரை காப்பாற்றி கொள்ள ஆண்கள் எடுத்த புதுவிதமான யுக்தி😳 pic.twitter.com/H4eLm8EMI6
— அர்ஜுன் தமிழீழவன் (Arjun) (@___Arjun___04) January 20, 2026
Sharing another such video, an X user wrote, “After this incident in Kerala, many men are feeling scared & insecure. Now, some men are getting on the bus with ‘sharp sticks’ or rods on their shoulders so that no woman can use the excuse of a push to record a video of them.
After this incident in Kerala, many men are feeling scared & insecure. Now some men's are getting on the bus with “sharp sticks” or rods on their shoulders so that no woman can use the excuse of a push to record a video of them. https://t.co/ICfQPUTsx5 pic.twitter.com/9S7TScM18U
— AnuCreate.in_ (@Imdead108_in) January 20, 2026
In another video, a man is seen placing a cardboard as a partition on a bus seat before sitting next to a female passenger. Sharing the video, an X user wrote, “Men can travel by bus in Kerala from today.”
Men can travel by bus in Kerala from today 🚍#Kerala #BetterAlways #HonourOurHeroes pic.twitter.com/DihCr0HTUl
— #PKMKB (@kreatlylingdoh1) January 20, 2026
Another X user shared an AI-generated picture, showing a man wearing multiple bodycams while travelling in a crowded bus. Sharing the image, an X user wrote, “How to travel by bus in India if you’re a male.”
How to travel by bus in India if you’re a male:#India #IndiawWhereMenAreUnsafe pic.twitter.com/VY3iaa0UTF
— The Forgotten ‘Man’ 👨⚖️ (@SamSiff) January 19, 2026
A key takeaway of the entire episode is that social media could be a double-edged sword. While it is a tool that can bring social change, it can also devastate lives. Deepak could not bear the mental toll of the social media trial based on the claim Shimjitha Musthafa associated with the video she uploaded.
Best way to tackle women in busses .
— The Forgotten ‘Man’ 👨⚖️ (@SamSiff) January 19, 2026
The only way for Men to be safe.. pic.twitter.com/nLG4GPb8xI
While Musthafa justified her actions, many questioned whether she was so sure that Deepak inappropriately touched her and violated her sexual boundaries; why did she not file a police complaint against him instead of uploading the video on social media and leaving it at that?
This question lends credence to the allegations that Shimjitha may have recorded and wrongly passed off the inadvertent touching as deliberate harassment, for follower and views farming, not realising that Deepak would take the extreme step.
IUML leader to YouTuber: Who is Shimjitha Musthafa?
Shimjitha Musthafa is originally from Vatakara (also spelt Vadakara) in Kerala’s Kozhikode district. She shifted to Velleri after her marriage 16 years ago. While married Muslim women pursuing higher education is relatively rare, Shimjitha completed her graduation and post-graduation in commerce. She obtained a BEd degree.
Media reports confirm that Shimjitha Musthafa has been affiliated with the Islamist political party, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
In the year 2020, Shimjitha Musthafa contested panchayat elections from Velleri ward of Areekode Grama Panchayat on the ticket of IUML. Shimjitha won the election with a margin of 588 votes.
So, Shimjitha Musthafa is/was also a member of the Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) January 19, 2026
The suicide case of Deepak must be thoroughly investigated. The video itself clearly shows that she was initially standing parallel to him and later changed her position on a crowded bus.… pic.twitter.com/ydYRzs6mIM
Notably, IUML is an offshoot of Pakistan’s founder and Islamist Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s All India Muslim League (AIML). The birth of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in December 1947 was a part of the intention to keep the spirit of the All-India Muslim League. The IUML advocated Sharia law for Indian Muslims in the Constituent Assembly after India’s independence. The party was found involved in the planning as well as the execution of the brutal Marad massacre in Kerala in 2003.
Its leaders, P.P. Moideen Koya and Moyeen Haji, have previously been accused of funding, conspiring and executing the riots. In 2023, the IUML had declared support to Palestinian Islamic terror outfit Hamas even as the latter was killing and raping Israeli people. In 2023, the IUML leaders raised anti-Hindu slogans, including those threatening to hang them (Hindus) in front of Temples and burn them alive, during Kerala’s Kasargod during a protest over Manipur unrest.
A Manorama report says that Musthafa’s family has been sympathetic to the IUML. She remained active as a panchayat member, but later, she travelled to Dubai with her husband, and eventually began working as an accountant. During her time in Dubai, Shimjitha developed an interest in vlogging.
Ummer Velleri, IUML secretary of Areekode Grama Panchayat, said, “Shimjitha was not very well known among local people then. But we decided to field her because she is well-educated. We wanted to groom a woman leader for the party. As a postgraduate, she was an apt candidate, with the potential to rise even to the post of panchayat president. Her victory by a huge margin surprised even party cadres. Her manners and attitude attracted voters.”
Shimjitha, who during her college days was overtly religious, faced criticism with her party, IUML, after she began uploading social media content without a hijab and wearing a Bindi. The IUML soon asked her to resign from her position as the panchayat leader, and the rift since then only widened.
For the last six months, Shimjitha Musthafa has been residing in Kozhikode’s Vatakara and has taken social media influencing as a career. Currently, her whereabouts remain undisclosed, with some reports claiming that she is absconding.
